This pivotal scene establishes the supernatural framework that will drive the entire tragedy while planting the seeds of ambition that will ultimately destroy Macbeth. Shakespeare uses the witches not merely as plot devices, but as embodiments of the ambiguous nature of fate and free will. Their prophecies create a psychological trap: by revealing potential futures, they make those futures seem inevitable, yet the characters must still choose how to respond.The dramatic irony is carefully layered throughout the scene. While the audience witnesses Macbeth's immediate fascination with the prophecies, Banquo serves as the voice of reason, warning about the deceptive nature of evil. His observation that "the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence" proves prophetic itself, establishing the central tension between appearance and reality that will pervade the play.Macbeth's soliloquies in this scene reveal Shakespeare's masterful psychological realism. The rapid confirmation of the Cawdor prophecy triggers an internal battle between his moral conscience and his awakening ambition. His admission that "my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man" shows how quickly the mere possibility of kingship has led him to contemplate regicide. The metaphor...
Scene Summary
The three witches gather on a desolate heath, sharing tales of their malicious deeds and preparing a spell to torment a sailor. When Macbeth and Banquo arrive, the witches deliver their fateful prophecies: they hail Macbeth as Thane of Glamis (his current title), Thane of Cawdor, and future king. To Banquo, they speak in riddles, declaring he will be "lesser than Macbeth and greater," "not so happy, yet much happier," and that he will father a line of kings though never be king himself.
When the witches vanish, Macbeth and Banquo debate whether they witnessed reality or illusion. Their doubts are resolved when Ross and Angus arrive with news that King Duncan has indeed named Macbeth Thane of Cawdor for his valor in battle. This confirmation of the first prophecy sends Macbeth into deep contemplation about the possibility of becoming king, while Banquo warns that evil forces often use partial truths to lead people toward damnation.
The scene ends with Macbeth's crucial aside revealing his inner turmoil—he is simultaneously attracted to and horrified by thoughts of murder, ultimately deciding to let fate determine his future rather than actively pursuing the crown. This moment marks the beginning of Macbeth's psychological journey from noble warrior to potential regicide.
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"So foul and fair a day I have not seen." — Macbeth (1.3.38)
"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!" — First Witch (1.3.48)
"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!" — Second Witch (1.3.49)
"All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!" — Third Witch (1.3.50)
"If you can look into the seeds of time and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then to me." — Banquo (1.3.58-60)
"Lesser than Macbeth and greater." — First Witch (1.3.65)
"Thou shalt get kings, though be none." — Third Witch (1.3.67)
"The instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence." — Banquo (1.3.124-126)
"Two truths are told, as happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme." — Macbeth (1.3.127-129)
"My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise, and nothing is but what is not." — Macbeth (1.3.139-142)
"If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir." — Macbeth (1.3.143-144)
"Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day." — Macbeth (1.3.146-147)
Click any tag to explore where it appears across the play, then ask the Bard to explain how it works in this scene.
